I'm looking for some advice on what medical training to do next. I've ran across a few car accidents and situations recently in which I would have liked to have some more training so that I could have been more help.

My medical background is pretty light. I took the CLS course while I was in the Army, and I've completed the Red Cross basic first aid course too. Not much.

I've looked into a couple options including Wilderness First Responder, EMT-B, and Emergency Medical Responder. Ideally, I would like a course that is taught online, potentially with a practicum at the end. l don't have a lot of time to take off work, so I'd prefer to be able to load the skills training into one shot. I'm not particularly worried about the certification either, although that would be nice I guess. I'm a financial advisor, so I'm doing this for my own edification, not to change my career or anything.

What do you guys recommend? Specific schools/programs would be helpful as well. Thanks!

I don't have any experience with them, but I almost took their AEMT course a few years ago. I've literally been through 3 different EMT courses since starting as an EMT through becoming an army"medic". I lapsed my certification a few times, that's the reason I have been through 3. As long as you get your hands on experience and finish all the clinical time it hardly matters where you go in my opinion.

Keep in mind you don't retain much info from the course alone, it's all about experience. It takes many patient contacts to get a good grip of what you're doing and those skills are perishable. If you want to be useful in an emergency, think about volunteering somewhere, or picking up a shift as a part time EMT wherever you can.

I second the volunteer idea. You'll get training, experience, and a feeling of camaraderie with your department- as well as giving back to the community.

I missed volunteering when I moved overseas and didn't realize it until the opportunity came up for me to do it again with the new, local SAR group in my area. Plus, it's helping me remember my rope rescue skills that I haven't used in years.

I used Remote Medical for my EMT last year, and will offer some observations:

I recall their online learning to be pretty simple to use - it's been over a year since I completed it so it's a bit foggy, but I don't recall having any gripes or complaints with the online portion.

After completing the online portion, we had to go to northern lower Michigan (we were around 50 miles from the tip if I recall) for two weeks for a classroom portion (was basically a 2-week review of what we did in the online portion). At the end of that we were able to do the practical test, but not the written test as that site was not a certified testing center for NREMT. It was rather simple to schedule the written exam (actually computer based, adaptive testing) once I returned to TN. During the exam I felt like I was a little lost, but I apparently scored very well - if you are having trouble on an adaptive test, it will ask the same information in different ways, basically giving you more opportunities to pass (by asking more total questions). If you are crushing it, then you don't have to answer very many questions - mine shut off somewhere in the 30s.

Class size was excellent - it was me, a professor from Washington State U (IIRC) (he runs fast hikes and other trips in the Himalayas, which was his impetus for taking the class), and a professor from Quebec (he teaches some sort of outdoor expedition class, where at the end of the year the students plan a canoe-camping trip above the Arctic circle). RMI's minimum number to hold a class is 5, and right after they booked 5 people for our class and scheduled everything, two people had to pull out - thus the 3 student class. Worked to our advantage as you can imagine - with just three of us, we were able to ask plenty of questions and get good, solid answers.

Complaints:
The class description on their website talked about all this outdoor training we were going to do, so we all packed accordingly (expecting to spend all day in the woods a couple times at least). The small amount of outdoor training we did was literally right outside the cabin classroom. Now, does that matter a whole lot? Not really, IMO. Make-believe training is make-believe training, whether you are in a climate controlled building or lying in the cold mud in the woods of northern Michigan. The other two didn't seem to think so, though, and pretty much ripped the class apart on the course critique. (RMI normally runs classes in Washington state, but had contracted a company called Northern Cairns to run the one I attended - again, I was happy overall with the program, but I think the other two expected more. Last time I looked at their website, they were no longer listing classes in MI.)

Caveats:
RMI's programs are for remote medicine practitioners. You learn the basics of EMT, AEMT, whichever you are taking, but then they add in some higher-level stuff (basic IV, suturing, IM injections, catheters). This is intended for medics who are running the show (medically speaking) with limited or zero local med support - Everest base camp, maritime vessel (which their course actually qualifies you for), etc. So they are teaching some stuff that could and would get a street EMT into trouble - don't be a dummy and only do what you are licensed to do, and no biggie. Just sayin.

You said you are looking into this mainly for your own edification, and so you will have a better skill set if the need arises. As mentioned above, emergency medicine is a perishable skill, so if you are not practicing then you will start dropping it. Along that line, there isn't a reason to get licensed if you aren't going to practice, even if it is a volunteer station near your house (which I would recommend looking into, if you are interested in that - my wife and I volunteer up here on our mountain and really enjoy it).

I'll drop my 2 cents here and second what Expatmedic said. Medical training is best obtained in person where you can have a direct line of comms with your instructors. That being said given your time constraints there are a few programs that come to mind. EMT-B should be your goal with a wilderness cert. To my knowledge, NOLS and RMI offer these in online + residence setups.

I took RMAP with RMI in Michigan and agree with everything boatguy said. The instructors are top notch, the primary was a PJ turned nurse practitioner and the assistant was an experienced army medic. However, for the price of the course, they really do play up the "remote" learning environment and send you a packing list that's indicative of an FTX. We spend a total of 30 minutes outside during my class and our class critique mirrored what boatguy's class stated.

I have seen JTM training mentioned on here and believe they offer an online EMT as well with the residence completed in Vegas.

EMT-B will allow you to volunteer most placed (area dependent) if that's what you're leaning towards. If you just want some extra knowledge for camping trips then a wilderness first aid course run by a reputable company would probably be most time and cost effective for you.

Didn't think about that, but online for your initial med training might not be the best idea. I first did EMTB back in 99, then let it lapse around 06. Between that, multiple trips to TCCC, and all the other incidental med training we did, RMI's class was mostly a refresher for me.

Also, before you do an online course for EMT with the intent of getting licensed in your state and volunteering locally, look into licensing requirements for your state. My state has a list of accepted courses, all of which are resident courses within the state. I can do reciprocity, by getting a license in another state, then paying a bunch of money for them to accept that license. Point being, do your research first so you know what you need to get licensed (which will be required to practice as an EMT, even as a volunteer - otherwise you are basically an unqualified extra pair of hands).

If you're not planning to go full-potato EMT, I'm on record as a big proponent of the WFA/WFR route. Despite the (variable, dependent on provider) emphasis on austere or longer-duration mgmt of patients, IME the courses cover many/most issues most of us would encounter.

Yeah, the time vs practicality issue; I'd agree with those suggesting hands-on if at all possible. My experience with WFR and recert included at least 2hr/day of outdoor practice (including a memorable day rigging a traction leg splint and managing hypothermia in a blower November nor'easter; not sure who it sucked more for, providers or 'patient').
WFR is generally an 80-ish (?) hr course, so a pretty big time-sink. Maybe consider a Wilderness First Aid, 2 day, and see how you like the syllabus and provider and then look into the long-course?